That’s right. Fasting is the key, especially when you want to break a stall. I’m a full believer that not every fasting plan is right for everyone. You have to find what works best for your body and metabolism. I have found that weight loss happens for me only when I go to 42 hours. I tried 24 hours  (essentially one meal a day or OMAD), but it doesn’t work. The 18:6 fast (18 hours fasting, 6-hour eating window) for me is a maintenance fast. When I do that, my weight stays where it’s at. I have to go to 36-42 hours to make things happen.

The more you do it, the easier it gets. I do 42-hours Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I do find Fridays a little difficult because it’s the beginning of the weekend and being home with my family tends to get me in the mood to cook and share a meal with them. Sometimes I give myself a break and allow a 24 on Friday.

I started to regularly do 42-hour fasts on January 7th. I use an app on my phone called Vora. It keeps track of my fasting times and I log in how much I weigh at the end of each fast. Here is my fasting stats so far:

• January 7th (45 hours): 235 lbs
• January 9th (46 hours): 232 lbs
• January 13th (48 hours): 228 lbs
• January 15th (45 hours): 226 lbs
• January 20th (45 hours): 226 lbs
• January 22nd (46 hours): 226 lbs
• January 27th (47 hours): 225 lbs
• January 29th (43 hours): 224 lbs
• January 31st (43 hours): 223 lbs

I drink a cup of black coffee in the morning and then drink water the rest of the day. At night, I will either have a cup of bone broth or have a few olives (not more than 50 calories worth though). This usually ties me over.

It definitely helps to have my husband along for the journey. He ranges in his fasting times. He doesn’t have the same metabolic issues as I do, but he definitely feels the benefits of doing a fast.